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THE TRUE STORY 



OF 



"Jennie'' Wade 



A Gettysburg Maid 





BY 



J. W. JOHNSTON 



fuhtishfd h\ 

J. W. JOHNSTON 
Fine A rts Building Rochester, N. Y. 







Copyright 1917 



J. W. JOHNSTON 
Rochester. N. Y. 



First Edition 



JUL 24iJ7 



'G!.A467931 



: Jeens Printing Co.. Inc. 
Rochester. N. Y. 



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Photo by W. H. Tiploii. Getlysburi:. '90 



i)u inrmorji of 

MRS. JAMES WADE 



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i8:;o-'92 

{nee Mary Ann Filby) 
The mother of Mary Virginia Wade 

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ri.olo 1,> Hoililkr. l)c, Molina, la.. 1V14 



GEORGIA WADE McCLELLAN 



July 4th 1841— 

(The sister nf Mary I'irginia l('ade) 

After the Battle of Gettysburg, her child being six weeks old, Mrs. Mc- 
Clellan served as a nurse to the wounded soldiers quartered in the Court House. 
She also assisted at the General Hospital Camp at Gettysburg when the wounded 
were brought together. In 1864 she went to Washington and nursed in the 
Emery Hospital under the direction of Annie Wittenmyer, who had charge of 
the Sanitary Commission. 

Engaging in Women's Relief Corps work, after the war, she became De- 
partment Treasurer (la. 1887), Department President (la. 1897-'98), Depart- 
ment Secretary (la. 1899-'00), Chairman, National Executive Board (1900), 
National Press Correspondent (1907), Secretarv, National Women's Relict 
Corps (1909-'10), Department Chaplain (la. 1917). 

Honorary member, 10th New York Cavalry, N. Y. (1898). 

State President W. C. T. U. (la. 1900-'03, 1906). 



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PREFA CE 

The True Story of "Jennie" Wade — a Gettysburg Maid — is the 
result of a most careful study and painstakinij iinestigation conducted 
from August, 1916 to June, 1917, h\ Mr. J. W. Jolinston, of Rochester, 
N. Y. No expense was spared and no stones left untiu"ned to secure 
the truth relating to what is unquestionably one of the most interesting, 
if not actually the most interesting, personal episode concerning the great 
battle of (jettysburg. 

There is romance and tragedy in the life of tliis Gettysburg girl. 
However, the romance here presented is the romance of truth, rather 
than of fiction. Unfortunately, iiuich has been written and spoken con- 
cerning the character, life and death of "Jennie" Wade which will not 
staiul the searchlight of analytical examination, nor the acid tests of proof. 

The author does not claim infallibilit\ , and it may be that some 
slight error or errors have crept into this first edition. If so, and if 
sufficient corroborative evidence of a reliable nature can be furnished, 
corrections or additions will gladly be embodied in the sec(jnd and subse- 
quent editions of this publication. 

However, it might well be stated at this point that the story as here 
presented has the endorsement and the appro\al of Georgia Wade 
McClellan, the sister of Mary Virginia W^ade, popularly known in 
history as "Jennie" Wade. The illustrations are absolutely authentic, 
several of the half tones being direct from untouched, war-time daguer- 
reotypes, ambrot\pes and ferrotvpes. Se\eral of these recently found 
are here presented for the lirst time in published form. 




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GEORGIA WAHE. MARY COMFORT, MARY VIRGINIA WADE 



I T/iis absolutely authentic, untnuclied, <jriiut> 
/tiirtrait is here reproduced for the first time in 
the exact size of the oritiinal.) 



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CHAPTER I 



(May 21, KS4,^ ) 



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\RV \'iRGlxiA \\'ade was born on Baltimore Street, 
Gett3sburg, May 21, lS4.i. She was christened as 
an infant at her home by Re\erend Gutilious. Her 
father was James Wade, a tailor b\ trade, of English 
descent, horn in James City, V'a., Aug. 9th, 1814. 
died in 1871 at Gettysburg. The mother of I\Iar\ 
Virginia Wade was Mary Ann Filby, of Gern-.an 

parentage, born 1820 at ^'ork, Pa., died, Gett\sburg December 24th, 

1 802. 

'I'he father of Mary \'irginia Wade lost his health about 18S1. 
Tlie girl had received some schooling and had been employed in house 
work, as well as in sewing for the tailoring trade. While a little girl 
her school mates called her "Gin" or "Ginnie" b\ reason of her middle 
name. The title "Jennie" \\'as a subsequent newspaper inaccuracy which 
has persisted. She was confirmed and united with St. James Lutheran 
Church, April 20, 1862. 

The children of the Wade family at the time of the great liattic 
were Georgia Wade, age 22; Mar\' \'irginia Wade, age 20; John 
James Wade, age 17; Samuel S.. age 12. and Harry M. Wade, age 8. 
After the health of James Wade, Sr. had broken down, Mrs. Wade 
and Mary \'irginia Wade worked as seamstresses mamtauiing a little 
home on Breckenridge Street, where they were li\ing at the time of 
the war. 

Georgia Wade \\as married to John Louis McClellan April 15th. 
1862, their home being on Baltimore Street, near East Cemetery Hill — 
the north half of the double dwelling now being generally known as the 
"Jennie Wade House." 

\'irginia Wade was a good looking, hard working, \oung woman 
whose daily service assisting her mother in maintaining a home for them- 
seKes and the boys will always remain an honor and a credit to American 
womanhot)d. 



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Ambrotypc. Studio unknown. About 1860. 

U)HNSTON HASTINGS SKELLY 

1843-1863 

Fiance of Mary Virginia Wade 

{Reproductiiin same size as niit/viah 



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CHAPTER II 

(Jlxe 2b. KSb.i) 

X the winter of '61 -'62 the lOtli i\. Y. Cavalrw known 
as "The Porter Guards," was stationed in Gettys- 
huTii. From time to time iVIrs. Wade and her 
dauiiihter repaired uniforms and sewed buttons on 
army coats for these soldiers. Hoth women were 
highly respected by the New York men, veterans of 
the regiment living in Lockport, N. Y., at the present 
time recalling the fact that they were kindly and hospitable, lonesome 
as the men were awa\ from their homes. In fact, the daughter 
invited and occasionally went to St. James Lutheran Church with one 
or two of the visiting troopers. 

The beautiful character and the patriotism of Mary Virginia Wade 
in her attitude toward Union soldiers is not onl\- suggested by the high 
estimation in which she was and is still held by the New Yorkers, but also 
by reason of the fact that she became engaged, probably in the spring of 
1863, to be married to Johnston H. Skelly, of Gett\sburg, Penna. — age 
22 — a granite cutter by trade, who was a Corporal in the 87th Pa. Vol. 
Inf. and a\\a\ with his regiment at the time the first Confederate troops 
rode into Gett\sburg — June 26th, 1863. Her marriage to "Jack" was 
to take place in September, 1863, if he could secure a furlough. 

At this point, it will doubtless be of interest for us to remember 
tli.it the great grandfather of Virginia Wade was Colonel Chidley Wade, 
killed at the Rattle of the Hrand>- Wine. September 11th, 1777. Her 
grandfather, Jhomas Wade, aide de camp to General LaFayette, was 
wdunded at the same battle. The father of Mar\ X'irginia, James Wade, 
was a Captain in the 80th Pa. jXIilitia, being commissioned by Governor 
Da\ id R. Porter, August 3rd, 1842. Her brother-in-law, J. Lewis 
McClellan, the husband of Georgia Wade, had answered President 
Lincoln's first call for volunteers, and at the end of the ninety days 
enlisted with 165th Pa. Vols. The brothers of Mary Wade were also 
patriotic, as we shall immediately see. 



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The Army of Northern \'irginia had crossed the Potomac about 
June 13th on its invasion of the Ninth. Immediatelj' after news had 
reached Gettysburg that the Confederates were advancing toward the 
village, an Emergency Regiment — the 26th Penna., was organized, 
Co.'s A and H of this regiment consisting of students from the Pennsyl- 
\ania College in Gettysburg and also from the local Lutheran Seminary. 

John James \Vade had \oIunteered in Co. B, 21st Pa. Cavalry and 
had been accepted as a bugler. He was very small for his years. His 
uniform had arrived, but was about two sizes too large. The sister, V'ir- 
ginia, seeing the misfit and being skilled at the work of alterations set at 
once to put the garinents in shape. The 21st Penna. Cavalry chanced to 
leave Gettjsburg by the York Road a few hours before the Confederates 
happened to ride into the town from the opposite direction. Bugler 
Wade in his altered uniform was not ready to leave with the others, but 
on getting his horse rode hurriedly alone out of town endeavoring to 
catch up with his comrades. 



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The loving and patriotic service of the sister toward her soldier 
brother during the hours on June 26th, 1863, when the 26th Penna. or 
Emergency Regiment was leaving Gettysburg, will account for the fact 
that Mar\' Virginia Wade was not seen in the demonstration gi\en in 
honor of the departing Gettysburg \ olunteer infantrymen at the time of 
their leave taking. 

General Early of Ewell's Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia 
rode into Gettysburg on the afternoon of June 26th with about five thou- 
sand followers. Requisition was made on the town, the town constable, 
John Lawrence Burns — subsequently known as the "Hero of Gettys- 
burg" — taking the message of General Early to Mr. Da\id Kendlehardt, 
the acting Burgess. 

Immediately after the Confederates came into Gettysburg, the\ 
began to collect the serxiceahle horses of the village. Samuel Wade, the 
second son of the Wade family, was employed at the time as a deli\ er\ 
boy for Mr. James Pierce, a butcher on Breckenridge Street. At the 
request of Mrs. Pierce, Samuel Wade was instructed to take the fa\orite 
family horse — an iron grey animal of good value — and to ride out of 
town along the Baltimore Pike. It seems that the lad had mounted 
the animal and had ridden some distance out Baltimore Street toward 



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Baltimore Pike when he was overtaken by Confederate pursuers, brought 
back to town and placed under arrest. 

\'irginia Wade being near the corner of Breckenridge and Haiti- 
more Streets at the time and linding her brother a captive, remonstrated 
with the Confederates for having arrested her brother. Failing to secure 
his release, she immediately went to the McClellan residence — where 
her mother was in attendance on Georgia Wade McClllan. who had 
given birth to a son about half past two — one hour before the Confed- 
erates rode into Gettysburg. 

Virginia, desiring to bring about the release of her brother and \et 
not wishing to disturb her sister, called the mother out of the house 
explaining to her the circumstances of Samuel's arrest. 

Mrs. Wade went to the Town Square, appeared before General 
Early about 4 P. M. and secured the release of the boy. However, the 
enemy retained the horse which he had tried to save, but concerning 
which Virginia was not particularly interested. 

Samuel Wade was a member of the (Gettysburg Zouaves, a social. 
military organization. 

June 26th, 1863 was indeed a ne\er-to-be-forgotten da\ to members 
of the \Vade family, and on no one did the patriotic responsibilities seem to 
rest so heaxily as on the shoulders of AIar\ \'irginia Wade. Her anxiety 
concerning the unfortunate uniform of her brother and her sisterly pride 
in his good military appearance in time to catch up with his alreadv 
departed troop, must have borne heavily on her mind. The absence 
of the mother from the home attending her sister, the arrest of her 
brother and the securing of his release with the assistance of her mother 
would suggest that although this Gettysburg maid was not with the 
groups of girls and yoimg ladies of the village to wave farewells to the 
departing students of the Emergency Regiment, she nevertheless was 
"doing her bit" in other wa\s that day serving the Union Cause. 





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CHAPTER III 



(June 30, 18b3) 



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HE last day of June, 1863, will always be remembered 
in the history of Gettysburg, since it was on the eve- 
ning of that da\ that the first Union troops put in 
an appearance in search of the Confederates known 
to be in the vicinity. 

Gen. Buford's division of Cavalry had been sent 
ahead to Gettysburg by Gen. Reynolds, Com- 
mander of the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac. As the Union 
Cavalrymen, after a long and dusty ride, came into Gettysburg 
from the south by the Emmetsburg road, veterans sa\ they were heartened 
by tlie sight of groups of loyal people who cheered and applauded, irre- 
spective of their begrimed appearance. 

Gettysburg girls sang patriotic songs as Buford's Cavalry passed 
way toward the Seminary. Mrs. James 
Ian) has \er\ kindK furnished a list as 



through the town on their 
Weaver (nee Sallie McClel 
follows : 

Miiiilcn \ (inn 



Florie Culp 
Mary Culp 
Sopiiia Culp 
Dora Flemming 
Anna Garlach 
Sallie AlcClellan 
Belle McElroy 
Julia McElroy 
Jennie Myers 
Salome Myers 
Susie Myers 
Alice Powers 
Jane Powers 
Amanda Reinecker 
Carrie Young 
Irine Weisick 



Miinicd Name, if Alarrir/l 

Mrs. Kohler 

Mrs. W^m. Sheads 

Mrs. John Tanne\ 

Dora Flemming 

Mrs. Kitzmiller 

Mrs. James \Veaver 

.Mrs. Bond 

Mrs. Happoldt 

Mrs. Wm. 'Fawney 

Mrs. Stewart 

Susie ]\Iyers 

Alice Powers 

Mrs. AlacDonnell 

Mrs. Wm. Rupp 

Carrie \ oung 

Irine Weinick 



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It will be observed that the name of Mary Virginia Wade is miss- 
ing from this list and the question has been asked, by those who ha\ e 
disputed her loyalty to the Union Cause, wh\- she was not present on 
this second occasion when patriotic demonstrations were beint; held — 
this time in welcoming rather than bidding Union soldiers adieu. 

In all probability home responsibilities again interfered, and irre- 
spective of the temptation which must have been present to shirk these 
obligations, Aliss Wade remained faithful to a trust which had been 
delegated to her by her mother. 

\'irginia Wade and her mother did not have any too easy a time 
of it making ends meet. They had accepted for board a crippled bo\ , 
Isaac Brinkerhoff, age six, whose mother worked out by the week. The 
lad was imable to walk as he had not been left alone by his mothei 
on the floor in order that his back might be strengthened sufHcientl\ to 
enable him to rise. He was not ileformed, but simply unable to care 
for himself. 

When Mrs. Wade left the home on Breckenridge Street to be pres- 
ent with her older daughter. Airs. AlcClellan, the care of little Isaac 
Brinkerhoff was intrusted to \'irginia. 



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Buford's Cavalruiien arri\ed in Gettysburg about eight o'clock — 
just at the time when little bo\s are being put to bed. His undressing 
and the hearing of his pra\ers — for Virginia Wade was a \ery good girl 
— as we shall see — was probably occupying the attention of one who wa-^ 
destined to have abundant opjiortunities on the morrow to show her col- 
ors. They were true blue. 



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Photographer unknown 



THE McCLELLAX RESIDEXCE 

As it appeared November 19, 1863 

(/'/V'Tf hnkin^ from n.vest side Bfi/timfirr Strft't) 



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CHAPTER IV 



(July 1, 1S63) 



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odx after the outset of the great battle of Gettysburg, 
Confederate shells from the batteries at the west of 
the town began to explode in the village. The com- 
motion and serious danger resulting from these con- 
cussions suggested to the house holders that the\ 
either betake themselves to their cellars or leave for 
points of safet}', quite naturalh" in the section of the 
town to the south, as the battle was on to the north and northwest. 

Virginia Wade thought the home of her sister, near Cemeter\ Hill, 
would be a haven of safety. Accordingly, she carried her charge to the 
McClellan residence on Baltimore Street on the morning of July 1st. 
Lea\ing the crippled boy with her mother, she went back to the house 
on Ureckenridge Street for lier youngest brother, Harry, and also to 
procure some needed clothing. On leaving the house on Breckenridge 
Street, she locked the door placing the key in the pocket of her gown. 

Arriving at the brick dwelling which sheltered her mother, sister, 
the two bo\s and the new born babe, she, as usual, began to resume the 
responsibilities which were so helpful to her mother. One of these duties 
was the answering of the calls at the door. These knocks were frcjm 
Union soldiers requesting food. After fitrnishintj bread, she brnid/ht 
ivater from the windlass tvell at the east side of the house to the dis- 
iinjiiiiteil eaV(dry/iien stationeil in h'onl. She filled the eiinteens of tin si 
soldiers from a pail ivhuh she nsted on the siilete(d.k. 

About two o'clock the Union troops began their retreat from Sem- 
inary Ridge and from the north side of the town. The cool, refreshing 
water which Virginia Wade had to offer was indeed a blessing to men 
who had been in the stress of battle for hours and who were now hasten- 
ing from distances as great as a mile. The da\ being particularly warm 
and sultr\-, good drinking water was in great demand. 

.l/^;/;r " trip the empty pail made to the faithful ii-cll to be 
returned to the front of the house for the refreshment of the Boys in Blue. 
Drenched from the waist down, this Gettysburg girl was on JuK 1st 



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THE RUPP TANNERY ^"j 



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' *j .--■' Oht. Snyder Jfarxi. 

wt -' ' '■■■. and ^h^nj^n, 

, ' ' ~ - . _ ^h.e4:£s 



^noify^ "QuJUt Marked Pivtoe 



JKc CrearUy 






R IrWITHE MSCLELLAN C 
E fflMAcLEAM HOMES 



Jhc'J)rStuduJ\ 




Capt Tflyens 



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Sa-si Cemetery JGU 



"Speryre^ri' or GtiiJ,^n's '^ 



§ Map showing location of residences on Balti- 

g more Street at the time of the Battle. 

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0O0OO0OOOO0OOCK>0OCK5€>O0OOCKK>OOOOOOO€5OOOO€>OOOOOO0OOOOOOOO00000 

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indeed making up for her unwilling absence from the assembly- of her 
girlhood friends and acquaintances which had gathered in honor of the 
departing Emergency men on the afternoon of June 26th and also on the 
evening of June 30th, when the first soldiers bearing the National Colors 
had entered Gett\sburg. 

As evening approached, it became apparent that the house which Vir- 
ginia Wade had chosen as a place of refuge was quite the contrary hi 
fact, the building was immediately between the new battle lines. Con- 
federate sharpshooters stationed in the office of the Rupp Tanner\ on 
the opposite side of the street began firing at Union sharpshooters sta- 
tioned about the little red brick structure which sheltered the wdnien 
and children. 

From time to time Confederate bullets found their mark and Union 
soldiers fell seriously wounded or in death about the McClellan yard, 
also in the \acant lot to the north. The cries of those wounded 
men, who were still under fire, prevented the possibility of sleep. .1 ml 
noir i/iiiy it In said In the hniKii of the Ji/icrictni girl that Jirijinia 11 ai/i 
iviiit out of till- hoiisi on the rvriiiiKj of July i.st, lS6j, and at the risk 
of hi r life hioiii/ht ivatir and ; 7;i ir to thosi' (d'lilit ivho had fallc n. 

Molly Pitcher is said to ha\e carried water from a well, which 
ma\- still be seen on the battlefield of Monmouth, and to have been 
subsequently honored by General Washington for her heroism. Unfor- 
tunately, the historical records are incomplete and Molly Pitcher is, in 
realit\-, a semi-historical character. This is not the case with Mar\ 
Virginia W^ade, w-hose faithful and ever loyal services to the Union 
soldiers are abundantly authenticated by those still living who were eye 
witnesses of her sympathy and service. 

I William Otto Kahlar, of Co. 'H, N. \'. Inf., writing from Lock- 
port, N. v., under date of Feb. fath, '17, reports that Virginia Wade gave 
him two biscuits and a cup of water on July 1st, 1863. It seems that 
she also gave a cup to ()rderl\ Sergeant Albert Brewer, who, it is said, 
has the sou\ enir to this da\ . I 



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Page Fifteen 



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Pliuiu b\- Tipton. Gettysburg 

THE McCLELLAN RESIDENCE 

( ric^v «/ north side «/ huilJiny i:;/ni/i s/iu-zcs 
rnttriy btitlle satis.) 



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Page Sixteen 



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CHAPTER V 

(JuLv 2. 1863) 

T was about five o'clock on the afternoon of July 1st, 
1S6.\ when the new battle lines of the Army of the 
Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia were 
being formed. ^ Thrstruggle of the first day had been 
a pronounced Confederate victory. A numerical 
superiorit\' had counted against the Federal troops, 
and they had been forced to retreat through the town 
taking up new positions on two hills just to the south. 

Men of the First Corps engaged in the fighting of the early morning 
hours, on arriving at Culp's Hill and on East Cemetery Hill, began to 
build fortifications. Batteries of artillery commanding Baltimore 
Street were stationed at the top of the incline ; while Union pickets were 
thrown across Baltimore Street to the east and west forming curved lines 
about the Union breastworks. 

The IMcClellan residence was at all times during the great battle 
within the Union lines. Being situated immediately between the office 
of the Rupp Tanner) buildings and the L nion fortifications on East 
Cemetery Hill, this little brick structure quite naturally suggested itself 
as an advantageous location for Union sharpshooters. 

The constant firing by the Confederate marksmen toward these 
brick walls on the afternoon, e\ening and night of July 1st made rest 
within, at least on the north side of the building, quite impossible. The 
moaning of wounded soldiers in the yard outside indeed made the night 
hideous. 

Mrs. McClellan's bed had been taken down stairs in the spring of 
the year and placed in the parlor. The mother and her five days' old 
babe occupied the bed and the parlor room at the outbreak of hostilities. 
As night came on and the danger increased, the three women and three 
children found comfort in each other's compan\'. Without disrobing the 
mother reclined on the bed with Mrs. McClellan and the child; while 
Virginia rested on a lounge under the window at the north side of the 
house. The two little boys did not mind trundle beds on the Hoor, 
Harry Wade ha\ ing hidden under the bureau from time to time as the 
danger from the shots increased. 



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00OOC5OO0OOOOOC3OOOOOO0OOOOOOO0OOOO0O0OOOOOO0OOOO0OOOOO00O0OOO 

Page Seventeen 



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32. /» 



CROSS SECTION OF THE McCLEI.LAN HOUSE 

This plan illustrates the course of the 10 lb. 

Parrott shrapnel shell through the second story 

rooms. The division of the house is as if through 
the kitchens at the east end. 

{The dotted lines up and duivn the stairiiiiy^ 
•u-ilt he snhseqitently explained.) 



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With dawn on the morning of July 2nd, the fusillades of shots 
from the Confederate outposts were resumed. It was apparent that the 
sharpshooters stationeil li\ the Confederate authorities at their lines near- 
est the Union stronjjholds were of exceptional ability. Hence a very 
serious danger to anyone who might be seen moving outside the McClel- 
lan building, or even inside the house past the window panes, since the 
storm shutters on tlie jiarlor wnnlow were not closed. 

The morning of Juh' 2nd passed uneventfully, but in the afternoon 
the patter of rifle balls against the side of the house and occasionally 
through a window light was interrupted by the crash of a 10 lb. I'arrot 
shrapnel shell fired from ( )ak; Ridge, to the north of the town, which 
came through the slant roof over the stairwa\ on the north side at 
the east end of the incline. Passing through the wooden roof and the 
plaster wall, wliich divided the two houses of the double dwelling, the 
missile plowed through the brick wall on the south side of the house 
finally resting in an unexploded condition above the overshoot or outside 
extension of the root, where it remained for o\er fifteen ye;irs. 

Virginia Wade fearful that the house was being made an object for 
artillery as well as infantry fire, fainted at the roar of splintering wood 
and falling bricks upstairs. 

The failure of the shell to explode within the house either on the 
north side or on the south side, where Mrs. .McLean with her fi\ e 
children lived, was doubtless Providential. 

Late on the afternoon of Jul\ 2nd as the exening shadows length- 
ened, an occasional L'mon soldier wcjuld venture to the dcjor ot the house 
asking for bread. I'hc Ji/iiinislii/iy r/iiu/itily did not send an'tiy dis- 
(ippf)'intcd the frir irlio tipfilicd tit the door, but it became more and more 
apparent that there unuUl be need the next day for a goodl\ siipph 
of that home baked bread which fighting men had tasted and found of 
excellent fla\or. 

Accordingly, on the afternoon of the second day, Mn. II ndi mid 
lii'<- dfiitghtrr stiirlnl tin yciist, icliuli ivns mi.xvd into s/xiniji on tlu 
evcniny of July ^nd and lift to risr, until tin nioininy of July Jrd. 

Frequent alarms and desultory bring during the evening and night 
of July 2nd again prevented normal rest. However, the women reclined 
as on the night before not knowing what new terrors each forthcoming 
hour might bring. 



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Fliotuyraplier unknown 
rntouclied, uiigiiial size ferrotype of 
LEWIS KENNETH McCLELLAN 



June 2bth, 1863 

'Yiiunijest velnati of tlif Buttle nj Getty shurij" 




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PLAN OF THE DOWN STAIRS ROOMS OF THE McCLELLAN HOUSE 

The dotted lines through the parlor mark the 
route of the sharpshooter's bullet which struck the 
bed post and fell with splinters on the pillow en- 
dangering the mother and the baby. 



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Page Twenty 



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CHAPTER VI 



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(JuLv 3, 1863) 

HE occupants of the McClellan home were up and 
about as early as four o'clock on the morning of 
Friday, the third and final day of the great battle. 
At four-thirty o'clock \ irginia and her brother Harr\ 
(IT/;/ out to fetch ill nooil for the baking of bread, 
the dough for which she had prepared the evening 
before. 

On rctuniiiKj to the house she moulded the dough stiff, and left 
it to rise ayain. The Union pickets stationed near the Snyder Tavern, 
at the corner of Breckenridge and Baltimore Streets, having been dri\en 
back about four thirty, a soldier came to the house about a half hour 
later asking for bread. He ivns promised biscuit, if he icould cull later. 

There were abundant opportunities for people in Gettysburg to 
sell food to hungr)^ soldiers stationed about their homes. However, 
Virginm U ade accepted no financial recompense whatsoever. She had 
given out bread several times on July 2nd, saving, when the last soldier 
called at nine o'clock at night, only what was needed for the morning 
meal, which Mrs. Wade had just prepared. 

After a frugal breakfast consisting of bread, butter, apple sauce 
and coffee, she went to the parlor and resting on the lounge under the 
north window began her customary religious devotions of the morning. 
She read from Psalms XXV^II to XXX commenting aloud on different 
passages. The unquestioned danger they were in doubtless made Mrs. 
McClellan very nervous. She requested her mother to ask \'irginia 
not to intensify the situation. The last words Mrs. ]\IcClellan lieard her 
sister say were: "If there is anyone in this house that is to be killed 
today, I hope it is me, as George'' has that little baby." 

About se\en o'clock the Confederate sharpshooters again began fir- 
ing at the north windows of the house. Every pane of glass was soon 



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* Mrs. McClclIati was called "Georcf" l>v Uer sister. 



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Page Twenty-one 



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Photo by Tipton. Gettysburi;. © R. C. Miller 

THE NORTH DOOR AT THE McCLELLAN' HOUSE 

T/ie circle is drawn about tlir hule made by the fatal hiitlet 

The bricks about this door are pitted with the 
marks of Confederate bullets. 



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Page Twenty-two 



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broken, one bullet on entering the front room struck the southwest bed 
post, then hit the fireplace or wall, fiiialh falling on the pillow at the foot 
of the bed toward which Mrs. McClellan and the child hail been turned 
as a measure of safety, by the mother of the \oung women, at the sug- 
gestion of Virginia. It was thought bullets might come through the 
west door anil window. The one which came through the north win- 
dow was, in tact, warm when Mrs. Wade gathered it with splinters from 
the damaged bed post. 

Al tiijhl o'cl'ttk ic'irk I'rcpitral'jry In tin iiiiikiinj of tin /'isn/i/s. 
uliirli luul //CI I! prniiiiscd, iLuis bcijiin. G'/iuij ta lur niixiiii/ liny I ir- 
tjiniii prepared Ihi fluiir and the hakinij s'>dii fur llie hiseiiit. She hud 
just (ihoitt finished knendini/ the duiigh and hud iisked her mother tn 
start the fire for the hiikinij iihen a Confederate bullet, presu/nahly from 
a sharpshooter' s rifle at the Rupp Tannery office, penetrated the outer 
door on the north side, also the door iihii h stood ajar Itetiicen the parlor 
and the kitchen, sirikina the ijirl in the hack jnst In loir the left shoulder 
blade. The heart leas hit, the bullet embedding itself in the corset at 
the front of Iter body. She fell* dead ivithout a groan. It teas noiv about 
S.-JO. 

Mrs. Wade turning from her work at the fire and seeing her daugh- 
ter fall realized, after a hasty examination, what had happened. She went 
to the parlor and said to Mrs. McClellan : "Georgia, your sister is dead." 

The shock of this painful announcement caused Mrs. McClellan 
to scream, whereupon Union soldiers appeared in the kitchen and took 
charge of the situation. There were two groups of these men. One 
group composed of New ^'ork German soldiers on hearing the cries of 
distress broke open the north door through which the fatal bullet had 
passed but a few minutes before. Two other Union soldiers came down 
from the rooms up stairs. The presence of these two men in the house 
was most m\sterious. as no one knows how they gained entrance to the 
premises. 

An inspection of the place being made, the men decided to order 
the women to take refuge in the cellar on the opposite side of the build- 
ing. rhe\ observed that the shrapnel shell which had struck the house 
on the afternoon before had made an opening in the partition wall be- 
tween the north and south sides of the east rooms upstairs. It was 



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* Sef dotted line in plan of kitchen on page 20. 



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Photo by 'ripton. Geltysbur; 



WOODEN MIXING TRAY 



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77'/,' mixiiii^ frtiy is the one o-'cer il/iic/i Miss Wade 



ivas i-Lorl-iiii( fit the time of her death, 
at the ^'"Jennie Wade Hoiise^' Museum. 



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possible to enlarge this opening by tearing or kicking down the plaster. 
When this work had been done, the women were asked to go up the 
stairs, pass through the opening, come down the stairs on the other side 
of the house and then out of the south door into the cellar. Mrs. Wade 
agreed to comply, if her daughter's body also accompanied the part\ . 
Mrs. McClellan with the babe in her arms went up the stairst unassisted, 
a soldier bringing after her a split bottom rocking chair. On arriving 
at the dividing wall, Mrs. McClellan handed the little bundle to a 
soldier, and after getting to the south side of the house resumed charge 
of her infant. Mrs. Wade :uid the boys followed. The soldiers then 
tenderly carried up the bod\ of \ irginia Wade wrapped in a quilt which 
Mrs. McClellan had pieced when five years of age. 

Coming down the stairs from the second-stor\' room at the east end 
of the building, they went out of the side door and down the stairs to 
their destination in the cellar, which seemed to be the safest place in 
the building for them, as it was on the side of the house aw^ay from 
the Confederate guns. 

The bod\ of the dead girl, still wrapped in the quilt, was laid on 
a bench,* generallv used for the reception of milk pails and crocks, where 
it remained from eight thirty A. M., Jul\ 3rd until one o'clock A. M., 
JuK 4th. The \igil was kept for nearl\- eighteen hours before it seemed 
safe for them to come up out of their hiding place. 

It must not be forgotten that Mrs. Wade — the mother of Mrs. 
McClellan and Mary Virginia \Vade — at the suggestion of the soldiers 
and assisted by them, returned by the route they had made through the 
division wall to the room stained with her daughter's heart blood and 
baked fifteen loaves of bread, the dough for which the daughter, who had 
been her main support in life, had prepared. Most of this bread went 
to feed Union soldiers on the afternoon of Jul\ 3rd. None of it was 
cold. 

I iryiuKi U (ulc ivas not hiikin/j hut iiiixniy tin iiignilu nts /or I hi 
iiisciiits. ivhicli she IkkI l^roiiihcd, ivlun nvcrtakcn hy death. The bis- 
cuits nere never finished. Hence the contention that she was baking 
bread for the household when she fell is incorrect in three particulars. 



t See dotted line in lower section nf plaii on pace IS. 
* See plan on page IS. 



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THE McCLELLAN RESIDENCE 

(Pdpularly called the "Jennie ll'iule House," 
ns it appears tnday. AVctf used as a ziar museum. 
The zi'heel in front of the house is a battlefield 
relic. ) 



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CHAPTER VII 



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(Ji'Li- 4, 1863) 

T fi\e o'clock on the afternoon of July 4th a little group 
consisting of j\lrs. Wade, i\Irs. McClellan, Mrs. 
Filby — the mother of Mrs. Wade, Harr\- AVade and 
so!iie six or eii;ht soliliers, stood beside an open grave 
which had been prejiared in the jjarden at the rear 
ot the house. 



The bod\- on being taken from the celhir 
rested in a coffin which had been brought to the south side and 
placed on the brick pavement outside the cellar doors. It is 
belie\ed that this casket was originall\ intended fiu' a Confederate Col- 
onel, the construction of the case having been started by Confederate 
workmen. This coflfin was completed by Mr, Charles Comfort, of 
Ciettysburg, and is the one in which our heroine still sleeps. 

No preparations whatsoever were made for the cleansing, embalm- 
ing or redressing of the deceased. She was placed in the coffin « itli 
the quilt wrapped about her. The dough ichich iccis still on Ik r luiin/s 
(inil iiniis ijiivf mule evidence of the service uliicli she laid mid ii-/is 
f/iithfiilly ciidcuvoriny to render the ihiion Ctiiisc. There were no 
spoken prayers and no music, as the girl was laid to rest in the \ard 
of her sister's home. 

|()n jul\ Sth, 1882, Mr. Mitchell, from the Committee on Pensions, 
submitted a Report (No. 793, 47th Congress, 1st Session) in the Senate 
of the United States whereby a pension of $8.00 a month was awarded 
by special act approved Jul\ 22, 1882, to Mary A. Wade b\' reason of the 
death of her daui^hter while serving; the Union Cause. 

The report testifies that the daughter was a "healthy girl, very 
faithful, steady and expert with the needle, who at the time of her death 
and for some years previous thereto, contributed materially to the sup- 
pnrt of the family." Furthermore, she was her mother's main support. 

J. H. Skelly and W. T. King, merchant tailors, made oath that 
both M. A. Wade and Virginia Wade had worked for them at the 
tailoring trade.] 



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Pai^e Tu enty se\en 



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CHAPTER VIII 



( January, 1864) 



The h()d\ remaint'd in the grave of the first interment fnini tlie 
afternoon of July 4th, lSfa3, until January, 1864, when it was renio\ed 
to the Cemetery adjoinmg the German Reformed Church. 



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CHAPTER IX 



(November, 1865) 



At the close of the war. Air. AlcClellan, the luishand of Georgia 
VVade, and her brother, John, who had bought a lot in Evergreen Cem- 
cterv, transferred the bod\ to this famiK lot where she now rests. 



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Page Twenty-eight 



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(September 16, I'^Ol ) 

HE Iowa Woman's Relief Corps at their Department 
Convention, lield in Davenport, in June, 1900, voted 
to erect a monument to the memory of Virginia 
Wade. There were no soldiers from the State of 
Iowa at the Battle of Gettysburg. Hence no Iowa 
State monuments. 

Contributions for the erection of this monument 
being solicited by the Women's Relief Corps of Iowa, funds were re- 
ceived from the Corps of Iowa; from Missouri, from friends and mem- 
bers of the Wade family scattered throughout the country. (It is saiti 
that over five hundred Wades served in the Union Armies during the 
Civil War, fifty-seven of whom died in the service. ) 

A beautiful and most encouraging letter was written to the Com- 
mittee by Mr. Walter Graham, of Harwick, Scothmd, on February 
11th, 1901 — accompanied by ten schillings and H\e pence ^\•hicil lie re- 
quested be devoted to the purchase of a foundation stone in the monu- 
ment. This letter, which was in reality an echo communication from 
the call heard across the sea, inclosed two vine leaves plucked from 
tiie base of the monument erected on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, 
in menu)r\ of tlie Scottish American soldiers who fell during 
our Civil War. Also a spra\ of heather "just because it's Scotch." 
Speaker Henderson, of the House of Representati\es, from Iowa — also 
of Scottish blood — contributed. G. A. R. posts in Connecticut and 
Pennsylvania and Sons of \'eterans were not to be forgotten. 

The monument erected Aug. 17, 1900, was unveiled with appro- 
jiriate ceremonies September Ibth, 1901, at an hour when the entire 
nation was in deep sorrow by reason of the obsequies incidental to tlie 
removal of the bod\ of William McKinley, President of the United 
States, from Huffalo to his home in Canton, Ohio. 

The cost of the monument, which was designed in Itah , was twelve 
hundred dollars. The Battlefield Commission pa\'ing one thousand dol- 
lars on behalf of the subscribers. Mrs. Anna Miller, the contractor, 
contributed two hundred. 

The steel Hagstaff on which the National Colors fly night and day 
was placed there in 1910 by the Gettvsburg Association of Iowa Women. 
A new flag is sent each \ear b\ the Department of Iowa, Women's 
Relief Corps. 



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THE MONUMENT IN EVERGREEN CEMETERY, GETTVSBrRC, 
ERECTED IN 19U1 TO THE MEMORY OF MISS WAOE 
(As it appears ill t/w pri'srnt day.) 



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Page Thirty 



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NAMES OF IOWA DELEGATION 

(At till' uinc'ilini; ceremonies. ) 

Margaret F. Hinman — Belmont 

Cluiirman, Mfjnunwnt C'liiuiiitlce 

Georgia Wade McClellan — Denison 

Christine C. Snyder — Creston 

Georgia B. Worker — Da\enport 

June Allen — Davenport 

Estella E. I'lopper — Iowa Falls 

Clara E. Batterson — Muscatine 

Mrs. Col. Springer — Anamosa 

Sarah Fox — Muscatine 

Miss Elsie Ma\ Worker — Daxenport 

Dr. Sara H. James — Ccnterville 

Clara Mae Alt — Cedar Rapids 



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Page Thirty-one 



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CORPORAL SKELLV, CO. 87 P. \'. 



(Born, August 4th, 1841— l")ied July 12th, 1863.) 



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THE GRAVE OF CORPORAL SKELLV 



(Interment, November 30th. 1864.) 



Page Thirty-two 



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CHAPTER XI 

(JuxE 15, 1S63) 

Corporal Johnston Hastings Skelly, the sweetheart of Virginia 
\Vade, was wounded June 15, 1863, in the battle of Carter's Woods, 
near \Vinchester, Virginia. 

He died Jul\- 12th at \Vinchester, V^irginia, and was buried in the 
Lutheran Cemetery at Winchester. 

It was God's mercy that neither Miss Wade nor Corporal Sicelh 
should know of the sacrifice whicli the other had paid the Nation. 

A photograph of Corporal Skelly was found in the pocket of Vir- 
ginia Wade's gown with the key of the house she had left on Brecken- 
ridge Street. Is iiny further evidence necessary to prove she iiiis a 
L nion i/lrl? Furthernirjre, Union veterans attest that her altitude 
toieard them ivas cordial. 



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CHAPTER XII 

(November, 1864) 

In November, 1864, Mr. Daniel A. Skelh , the brother of Johnston 
H. Skelly, brought the body to Gett>sburg, where it was interred in 
Evergreen Cemeter}". The grave of this Gettysburg youth who also 
paid the "last full measure of devotion" is about seventy-five paces from 
the grave of the girl he loved. 

Skelly Post, G. A. R. No. 9, Gettysburg, has honored the memory 
of Corporal "Jack" and has also honored the Post by bearing the name 
of a Gettysburg volunteer highly respected by his comrades — beloved by 
the Gett>sburg Maid. 

"Sh( i/ave all sin had. she did her best ; 
Anijels could do no more." 



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Page Thirty-three 



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JOHN WHITE JOHNSTON 

Author - Publisher 

(Member, Rudicster Hiitor'u/il Society; mem- 
ber, National Historical Society.) 



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Page Thirty-four 



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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



The author desires to acknowledge valued as- 
sistance and kindly co-operation in the gathering of 
facts and in the securing of the illustrations for this 
work from the following; 

GEORGIA WADE McCLELLAX, of Carroll, la. 

GEORGIA SCHWARZENBACH, of Carroll, la. 

J. LOUIS SOWERS, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

R. C. MILLER, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

HON. H. W. TIPTON, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

REV. F. E. TAYLOR, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

D.ANIEL A. SKELLY, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

MISS CARRIE YOUNG, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

LESTER C. SCHUKNECHT, of Rochester, N. Y. 

MISS MARY YOUNG, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

J. WILLIAM G.ARLACH, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

C. F. BRINKERHOFF, of York Springs, Pa. 

MISS LUCINDA SNYDER, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

JOSEPH CARVER, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

MRS. ANNA L. KITZMILLER, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

J. I. MUMPER, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

MRS. IDA M. MUMPER, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

C. T. STRAIGHT, of Pawtucket, R. 1. 

REV. W. L. STANLEY, of Eldora, la. 

H. S. TROSTLE, of Gettysburg, Pa. 

REV. J. B. B.AKKR 



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A iHrmnrial ^rrtiirr 



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;// honor of 
MARY VIRCilXIA WADE 

was held in St. Janit-s Liithtran Cluirch 
Gfttyshur^^ Monday E-veningy Jitnt llth^ 1^17 



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Georgia Wade McClellan, 

the sister of Mary Firginia H'aJe attended 



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Mr. J. \^'. Johnston, 

gwce ^''The Trite Story of Jennie Wade'' 
illiutrated ivith stereoplicon t'ieii-s. 



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